For as long as i can remember she has always been bedridden. I am not sure what exactly she suffers from, but i remember her always complaining of body aches, her feet so swollen and always kept her up at night due to the pain. She had not always been that way. She was the most wild, outgoing female in the entire family. My mom used to say, if there was anything new , anything in style back in her youth she had it. She was soo full of life. She never stayed in one place for long. She had 7 children. She was a widow and never remarried. So she was left to be cared for by her children and now grandchildren.

As a teenager, i always went to visit her  when i was home during school breaks. I would take groceries and clothes to her. I remember the first time i went to see her in 1992. I was a freshman in high school, she just started crying when she saw what i brought her. She had me walk to her bedside, she looked soo thin and weak. She hugged me and kissed me, and said  to me ” you have your mother’s heart. Thank God for you. You have all my blessings. come back and see me again.” I did. I did go back to visit her whenever i was home. I was in a boarding school, so typically the longest break we had i think it was like a month or so.

When i was done with high school, she got better and for the first time in like 10+ years she was pain free, able to walk do things for herself and started enjoying life again. She would come and see us at work and she would walk past my dad and tell him ” forget you. forget you, you never took care of me when i was sick but your wife did. ” My dad always laughed and he would tell her ” you have mental issues.. you are mental you know that. so where to now?’.. she would laugh they would hi-five and she would say ” God made this  two feet for walking, this two eyes for seeing, and you see the sky, John look up.. see the sky.. i am not mental, i am going to see the world” Then she would ask for me and just hold my arm and we would walk away together. Dad always used to yell at her, something along the line.. she is at work, or she has things to do leave her alone.  They would exchange words, some curse words.. then she would win.

We would take a little walk. She brought me a facial cream one day.. i used to have really bad acne then. She would tell me, make sure you wash your face and put this on. Jeez Sophia you need some lipstick too.. next time i go shopping i will get you some. She didn’t have money, but she  always found a way.

I loved her and she always made me laugh.

Well, it had been years since i last spoke to her. For the past 12 years she was beddridden, couldn’t even do anything for herself. Now she is able to do some chores again even talk. The one person she has been looking for and wanting to speak with was me. My mom had my sister go to her house and she called me from there.  I had been thinking about her and wondered how she was, but again we live continents apart now.  So when i spoke to her today for the first time in 10+ years, i was in tears, She was soo happy. She was screaming on the line. She asked me not to be sad, she said this was a happy moment. I told her i got married and had 2 kids.  She remembered things i did for her that i don’t even recall.

She said she gets very cold at night and needed pants. I asked my sister to go shopping for her. I ask she get her some clothes and   groceries for me.  I had her talk to my husband too. She was so happy..she was begging my husband to let me go see her My husband kept on telling her, i would never stop her from visiting you.. the next time she comes home, she will definitely come see you.

You are talking about a woman in her late 70s… My sister said, she had reached a point where she wasn’t even able to talk anymore. So this sudden recovery is shocking, and  the only person she asked for when she did talk was Sophia. I don’t know why, but my husband thinks it was because i was always kind to her.  when i was home i always took time to go visit our extended family members, especially the sick and elderly. When i did go see them, i would get groceries and clothes to them.  My mom always gave me money to spend on them whenever i asked, so she was really the reason why i did it.

So again, i don’t know why all of a sudden my great aunt happen to recover and all she wanted was to speak to me, my mom told my sister she better make sure she get me to talk to her just in case she dies before talking to me. My mom said maybe she just wants to bless me since i  was always kind to her. I don’t know, but i hope so.

The lesson to this is, If you know anyone in your life that is less fortunate, sick, needs a helping hand… just stop by and help them out. It may be nothing to you, but it sure can make a difference to another.

Stay blessed!

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